• An Giang
  • Binh Duong
  • Binh Phuoc
  • Binh Thuan
  • Binh Dinh
  • Bac Lieu
  • Bac Giang
  • Bac Kan
  • Bac Ninh
  • Ben Tre
  • Cao Bang
  • Ca Mau
  • Can Tho
  • Dien Bien
  • Da Nang
  • Da Lat
  • Dak Lak
  • Dak Nong
  • Dong Nai
  • Dong Thap
  • Gia Lai
  • Ha Noi
  • Ho Chi Minh
  • Ha Giang
  • Ha Nam
  • Ha Tinh
  • Hoa Binh
  • Hung Yen
  • Hai Duong
  • Hai Phong
  • Hau Giang
  • Khanh Hoa
  • Kien Giang
  • Kon Tum
  • Lai Chau
  • Long An
  • Lao Cai
  • Lam Dong
  • Lang Son
  • Nam Dinh
  • Nghe An
  • Ninh Binh
  • Ninh Thuan
  • Phu Tho
  • Phu Yen
  • Quang Binh
  • Quang Nam
  • Quang Ngai
  • Quang Ninh
  • Quang Tri
  • Soc Trang
  • Son La
  • Thanh Hoa
  • Thai Binh
  • Thai Nguyen
  • Thua Thien Hue
  • Tien Giang
  • Tra Vinh
  • Tuyen Quang
  • Tay Ninh
  • Vinh Long
  • Vinh Phuc
  • Vung Tau
  • Yen Bai

EE Times: All eyes on Vietnam

This is the title of an article posted on EE Times on 3 November. The article writes that China may be the name on everyone's lips when it comes to the preeminent Asian market and production base, but a growing number of major technology firms are taking notice of a new contender to the throne—Vietnam.

November 09, 2006 8:40 AM GMT+7

As a war-damaged country, Vietnam now boasts an annual growth rate of over 8 percent, the highest in Southeast Asia, as well as the best performing stock market in the region.

With Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), foreign companies are coming in droves.

Early this year, chip maker Intel Corp. unveiled plans to open a $300 million fab in a high-tech park outside Vietnam's commercial center, Ho Chi Minh City. This was followed by an announcement in October that Intel's venture capital arm had teamed up with private equity firm Texas Pacific Group to take a $36.5 million stake in FPT Corp., the country's main information technology provider.

Also in October, local fund manager VinaCapital and Silicon Valley venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson jointly launched a $50 million fund that will seek out growth opportunities in Vietnam's IT and telecom sectors. Other firms expanding in Vietnam include Hewlett Packard, Japan's Renesas and Nidec, Singapore's Allied Technologies, and Denmark's Sonion.

Authorities at Saigon Hi-Tech Park, where Intel's new facility will be located, recently announced that the zone had already attracted nearly $1 billion in investment, most of it from foreign companies.

Companies active in the country claim its skilled workforce and youthful population—about half of the population of 80 million is under 25—represent an unmatched opportunity. And it is a population that is increasingly tech-savvy, with Internet and mobile phone penetration growing well above global norms.

SGGP